SEC Basketball: Each team’s best acquisition out of 2023 transfer portal

SEC basketball wasn’t shy about utilizing the transfer portal this offseason cycle. Each team in the conference used the portal in some way, shape or form to add experience, depth and some defensive help in a few cases, to their rosters.

SEC Basketball looked to the transfer portal in more ways than one to boost their profiles in 2023-24. Head coach Eric Musselman and Nate Oats had an “arms race” of sorts to say the least as they both came out of the portal with some key additions worth discussing heading into a new season.

Coach Musselman and Oats weren’t the only ones that went searching in the portal for experience and then some, either. The Kentucky Wildcats even broke their own rule (kind of), in adding a big defensive anchor late in the offseason in the graduate transfer market.

Things should be interesting for a few teams who had rough outings with first-year head coaches at the helm as well. The South Carolina Gamecocks and LSU Tigers both finished with unforgettable outings in 2022-23 in the SEC standings. With some key additions out of the portal on both squads, it will be interesting to see how they bounce back this upcoming year in the conference.

Then there’s the “Size Renaissance” that kind of happened overnight in the conference. 7-foot-5. 7-foot-1. 6-foot-11. Those are the heights of three big additions out of the transfer portal that tested the NBA Draft waters this past offseason before returning to the college basketball ranks and choosing new destinations in the SEC.

After seeing eight teams from the conference make last year’s NCAA Tournament, there’s certainly a lot to look forward to as teams look to top those performances with more success. Take a look at each SEC team’s best addition out of the transfer portal.